Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema Essay

Hinduism, the Religion as portrayed in Bollywood Cinema - Essay Example The author has classified these feature films into four main categories: mythological films, devotional films, Islamic films and the films propagating religious and secular ideals. She has then discussed the characteristic features of each of these categories of cinema under different chapters of the book. According to Dwyer, the Hindu religion in India has always had a strong relationship with the various forms of the artistic expressions. Much before the medium of films came into existence, the traditional forms of the Indian media such as â€Å"drama, poetry, music, dance, painting etc.† have been found to be replete with depiction of Hindu religious practices. This proves that, right from the ancient times, Indian religion has had a significant influence on the different forms of the country’s art. The medium of cinema was no exception to this rule, and the all-encompassing impact of India’s religious culture paved the way for the regular portrayal of the religious practices on the large screen. That is why, Dwyer has considered it important to study the mutual relationship between the Indian religion and the medium of films. In her work she has evaluated the methods in which the medium of cinema has influenced the religious practices in India. She has also tri ed to determine whether Indian films have portrayed the religious rituals in their true form or have modified them while exhibiting these practices to a larger audience. (Dwyer, 2) Dwyer’s book makes significant contributions in other spheres as well. The author has studied the importance of Indian cinema in constructing various national identities related to films. Dwyer has outlined how the cinematic medium has helped to form India’s political identity, its nationalistic zeal, the religious identity and also facilitated the creation of the different religious communities. In his book, the author has further argued that Indian films have not restricted themselves by depicting only the religious rituals, the religious communities and their philosophies. Instead, Indian cinema portrays an Indian society whose customs and practices are grounded in the basic religious ideals of the country. This modern Indian society transcends the political boundaries and religious divid es to register its presence amidst the larger global audience (Dwyer, 2). In 2008, Dwight Friesen (University of Edinburgh) had published a review of Rachel Dwyer’s book in The Expository Times. Friesen has identified Dwyer’s book as an unprecedented effort mainly directed towards evaluating the significance of Indian religion in their cinema. The first chapter of the book traces the origins and development of mythological films in India, while the second chapter describes the same aspects of the feature films belonging to the devotional genre. In the third chapter, the author has described how Indian films have depicted the Islamic religion, culture and their ways of life in the relevant â€Å"Islamicate films†. The fourth chapter has enumerated how Hinduism has significantly influenced the framework and the basic themes of the Indian social cinema. (Friesen, 206) Friesen declares that Dwyer’s book bears testimony to her investigations and research about the subject matter of her work. Friesen has appreciated Dwyer’s knowledge about the evolution of the Indian motion picture industry which is reflected abundantly in the book. As such, Friesen points out that the book has minimal flaws. However, the reviewer rightly identifies that Dwyer has concentrated more on the depiction of religion in Hindi films ( produced in the Bombay film industry) rather than the

Critical Literacy Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Literacy Narrative - Essay Example As a Chinese person, learning English was not easy for me. First, I need to mention here that while one can find many people knowing English in the non-English countries, China is one such country where not many people know English. Even with the status of an international language, Chinese people are generally reluctant to learn English language and prefer to communicate with one another in the Chinese language both within China and outside. However, one cannot deny the importance of learning English language in the present age. Today, when globalization has reached its peak, learning English has become more of a condition than a choice. So I had to learn English anyway. I started learning English in the school. We started over with learning letters, then vovals, words, pronunciations, poems, lines, passages, and short stories. As I progressed through various classes in school, learning English became more and more thorough and detailed. In high school, I learned writing letters and essays. The more I wrote, the better I got at speaking and writing English. However, listening English and understanding native English people speak English was not easy for me because I had heard English being spoken in the Chinese accent in China. But I had to move over to the US for higher education. For this, developing competence in listening and understanding English in addition to other competencies was very important. I started developing competence in listening and understanding English in the British and American accent by watching Hollywood movies. I believe that Hollywood movies are a very good and informative source for people who want to learn English. Not only are these movies in native English accents, but the language actors use is the one we use in everyday life. So I get to learn English the way it is spoken by the native people in everyday life. As I learned English more and more, I learned that there is not one, but many accents of native English; there is an A merican accent, a British accent, and an Australian accent to mention a few. The first movie that sparked a motivation in me to learn English was Titanic. I totally loved that movie, but at the time when it was released, I couldn’t understand and enjoy it fully because of my limited knowledge of English. However, I was very motivated by the movie and wanted to learn English more in order to be able to enjoy such wonderful movies fully. I saw more English movies and over the passage of time, my competence in English language improved. The biggest challenge I experienced after moving to the US was understanding English in the native American accent. People found it hard to understand me and I found it hard to understand them. This complicated the matters for me manifolds as I not only faced the challenge of adjusting in the US, but also of understanding others and making myself understood. In order to live happily in a native English country, learning English is a must. Even pe ople who can speak English but not perfectly experience so many issues in the native English countries, what to talk of them who do not know English at all. â€Å"the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her† (Tan 506) are some of the difficulties commonly experienced